A former aide to Gov. Chris Christie says he is "dumbfounded and disappointed" that a few rogue individuals shut down traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge in an alleged political payback plot.



The former aide, Matt Mowers, testified before New Jersey lawmakers investigating the scandal that's engulfed Christie's administration.



He says he wasn't involved in the plot.



Mowers worked in Christie's now-closed Inter-Governmental Affairs Department and on last year's re-election campaign. 

A former subordinate to Bridget Anne Kelly, Mowers said she checked in with him a month before the controversial lane closures with a question about Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich.

"She said, 'Is Mayor Sokolich endorsing?' I said, 'No, he's not.' 'He's definitely not? Not going to happen?' I said, 'Not going to happen from everything I know, the door's shut, not going to happen.' She said, 'OK, that's all I need to know.'"

Mowers is now the executive director of New Hampshire's Republican Party.



The legislative committee is trying to determine who ordered traffic lanes blocked in September and why.



The governor has repeatedly denied any knowledge in the plot's planning or execution, but the scandal has raised questions about Christie's viability as a 2016 presidential candidate.